On Stage

This is a mixed-rep ballet. Mixed-rep ballets are several unrelated short ballets with intermissions, similar to a collection of short stories.

Since graduating from Barnard College in 1963, Ms. Tharp has choreographed more than one hundred sixty works: one hundred twenty-nine dances, twelve television specials, six Hollywood movies, four full-length ballets, four Broadway shows and two figure skating routines.  She received one Tony Award, two Emmy Awards, nineteen honorary doctorates, the Vietnam Veterans of America President’s Award, the 2004 National Medal of the Arts, the 2008 Jerome Robbins Prize, and a 2008 Kennedy Center Honor.  Her many grants include the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Fellowship.  She is a member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, the American Philosophical Society, and an Honorary Member of the American Academy of Arts and Letters.

Ulysses Dove (1947—1996)

Ulysses Dove’s works can be seen in the repertories of several major dance companies throughout the world. He is acclaimed by The New York Times as a “choreographer with a bold new voice.” A native of Columbia, South Carolina, Ulysses began studying dance at Boggs Academy in Georgia. During college he continued studying modern dance and ballet with such teachers as Carolyn Tate, Xenia Chilstowa, Jack Moore, Judith Dunn, Bertram Ross, Helen McGehee, Mary Hinkson, and repertory with José Limon. After receiving his B.A. in dance from Bennington College, Ulysses moved to New York City where he studied with Maggie Black and Alfredo Carvino, and performed with the companies of Mary Anthony and Pearl Lang.

In 1970, he received a scholarship at the Merce Cunningham School. Two weeks later he joined the Cunningham Company, performing in every piece by the time he left in 1973. Shortly thereafter, Anna Sololow asked him to perform her classic work “Rooms.” Alvin Ailey saw Ulysses’ performance that evening and invited him to join the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theatre. He quickly rose to principal dancer and in 1979 made his professional choreographic debut in I See The Moon and The Moon See Me. From 1980 to 1983, Ulysses was the assistant director of the Groupe de Recherché Choregraphique de lõopéra de Paris.

In 1983, Ulysses Dove became a freelance choreographer after leaving the Paris de lõopéra. He has created over 26 works for large and small ballet and modern dance companies nationally and internationally. Before his death in 1995, he received two choreographic grants from the National Endowment for the Arts to set works on New York City Ballet, a Bessie award, and a 1995 prime time Emmy Award for best choreography for the “Dance in America” special Two by Dove.

The legacy of Ulysses Dove’s philosophy on dance and work ethics is a driving force for The Dove Art Programs (DAP), directed by Ulysses’ brother Alfred L. Dove, the Administrator of Ulysses Dove’s ballet estate. The Dove Art Programs mission is to carry Ulysses’ spirit and his passion for dance to each dance company that performs Ulysses’ ballets. This mission also protects the artistic integrity of Ulysses’ works in hopes that the spirit of U. Dove will live forever in his ballets.

JUSTIN PECK is a Tony Award winning choreographer, director, filmmaker, and dancer based in New York City.

He is currently the acting Resident Choreographer of New York City Ballet.

After attending the School of American Ballet at Lincoln Center from 2003-2006, Justin was invited to join the New York City Ballet as a dancer in 2006.  As a performer, Justin has danced a vast repertoire of works by George Balanchine, Jerome Robbins, Alexei Ratmansky, Lynn Taylor-Corbett, Benjamin Millepied, Christopher Wheeldon, and many others.  In 2013, Justin was promoted to the rank of Soloist, performing full-time through 2019 with the company.

Justin has created over 50 dance-works — more than 20 for New York City Ballet.  His works have been performed by Paris Opera Ballet, San Francisco Ballet, Australian Ballet, Dresden Semperoper Ballet, Hong Kong Ballet, Boston Ballet, Juilliard, National Ballet of Canada, Miami City Ballet, Pacific Northwest Ballet, LA Dance Project, Dutch National Ballet, the School of American Ballet, Joffrey Ballet, Houston Ballet, Pennsylvania Ballet, Ballet Austin, Atlanta Ballet, Ballet Bordeaux, Finnish National Ballet, BalletMet, Royal Danish Ballet, Cincinnati Ballet, University of Southern California (USC), and Ballet Arizona.

Justin has worked extensively as a filmmaker. In particular, his focus has been exploring new innovative ways of presenting dance on film. Peck choreographed the feature films RED SPARROW (2016) starring Jennifer Lawrence and directed by Francis Lawrence; WEST SIDE STORY (2021) in collaboration with director Steven Spielberg; and MAESTRO (2022) in collaboration with director/actor/writer Bradley Cooper. Peck’s work as a director-choreographer for music videos include: THE DARK SIDE OF THE GYM (2017) for The National; THANK YOU, NEW YORK (2020) for Chris Thile; and THE TIMES ARE RACING (2017) for Dan Deacon. In 2018, Justin directed the New York Times GREAT PERFORMERS Series (starring Julia Roberts, Ethan Hawke, Lakeith Stanfield, Glenn Close, Toni Collette, Yoo Ah-in, Emma Stone, Olivia Colman, Regina Hall, Yalitzia Aparicio, Elsie Fischer, and Rachel Weisz).

Justin choreographed the 2018 BROADWAY revival of CAROUSEL.  The production was directed by Jack O’Brien and starred Jessie Meuller, Joshua Henry, & Renée Fleming.

Justin’s honors include: the National Arts Award (2018), the Golden Plate Honor from the Academy of Achievement (2019), the Bessie Award for his ballet RODEO: FOUR DANCE EPISODES (2015), the Gross Family Prize for his ballet EVERYWHERE WE GO (2014), the World Choreography Award for WEST SIDE STORY (2022), and the Tony Award for his work on Broadway’s CAROUSEL (2018).